Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Ichiro's hobbies include: Hitting baseballs, getting massages from manager Don Wakamatsu, and hitting more baseballs.
One nice way to put injury concerns to rest is by smashing a grand slam in your first game back. Ichiro, who missed the first week and a half due to fatigue and ulcer troubles, went 2-for-5 with the homer, four RBI and a stolen base against the Angels. But his stat line paled in comparison to another leadoff star.
In the Rangers' 19-6 thrashing of Baltimore pitching, Ian Kinsler put up a line that made me choke on a chicken tender. Kinsler hit for the cycle, going 6-for-6 with four RBI, five runs and a stolen base. He's now the No. 1 ranked fantasy player in most formats, boasting early-season totals of .474-3-13-11-2. Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia sits at .179-1-1-6-2. How's that for disparity between two of the top three second basemen?
Kinsler won't have another game like that for the rest of the season. So you make the most of it and throw out a couple of offers. If there's a novice in your league, see if you can pull off a getaway by offering Kinsler for Brandon Phillips and another struggling upper-tier player like Prince Fielder. If said owner is at the bottom of the standings, he may be hasty and ready to press the panic button. You never know until you make the offer.
Bits from the Box Scores:
• The Adam Jones Express is crushing right along. A day after we told you more good things would come from his bat, Jones hit his second jack of the season at Arlington. He now has 11 RBI, 12 runs and six doubles to go along with the two homers -- good enough for a top-10 ranking in leagues. I was hesitant at first to believe he could have matured so quickly, but it's impossible to deny him now.• Note that Chris Davis was out of the lineup for the Rangers while Hank Blalock played first and Andruw Jones was the DH and cleanup hitter. Jones scored four runs, which isn't what you want to see if you're a Davis owner. Stay the course but keep a close eye on the situation.
• Josh Anderson, who's rising in value for AL-only leaguers, scored two runs for the Tigers and stole a base. Anderson also showed off his speed when he beat out a bunt for a single. I think he'll continue to find playing time in the outfield while Carlos Guillen spends time at DH.
• Travis Hafner went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI vs. Kansas City. I continue to believe in the bounce-back campaign.
• Man, that Royals lineup is friggin' pitiful right now. You know you're in trouble when John Buck is your leading power threat and cleanup hitter. Zack Greinke, Gil Meche and Joakim Soria are the only three that deserve a starting spot in daily lineups at this point.
• Don't be alarmed that Rich Harden lasted only three innings. He's not injured (yet). He labored with 92 pitches against the Rockies, but at least the eight strikeouts were nice.
• Lost in Tim Wakefield's no-hit bid was a surprising performance from A's rookie hurler Brett Anderson. After giving up a two-run homer to Mike Lowell, the lefty allowed just four other hits and struck out five. He should be owned in all AL-only leagues; you can ignore in mixed for now.
• Andy Pettitte is still out there in quite a few leagues and shouldn't be. Pettitte pitched another fine game on the road and only walked one against the Rays. He stands with a 2.51 ERA and a 10:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio through two starts.
• From the tales of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Oliver Perez pitched six innings of one-run ball to beat the Padres. He threw 57 of his 90 pitches for strikes. I wouldn't use him beyond favorable matchups yet.
• From the "Well, look at that!" files: Astros' Mike Hampton struck out eight Pirates over six scoreless innings. I'm not buying, but definitely intrigued. At the least he appears to be a spot-starting option and NL-only gem.
• Emilio Bonifacio got another hit. He also struck out four times and left six men on base. Yes, even sleeper superman has to come back to Earth. John Baker, who should be owned in every two-catcher league, drove in two and scored two; the underrated Marlin has six RBI and seven runs total.
• NL West, I believe you officially fear Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers' electric southpaw appears to be quickly turning the breakout corner after striking out 13 over seven one-hit innings against the Giants. The WHIP may fluctuate this year, but the strikeouts will continue to pile up.• Need a solid power outfielder for your bench? Travis Snider has quietly driven in five over his last two games at the Metrodome. He's surprisingly available in a lot of leagues. Keep in mind his upside may be limited batting at the bottom of the order.
The Afflicted: According to reports, Xavier Nady is heading for Tommy John surgery. Big value boost for Nick Swisher. Starters Daisuke Matsuzaka and Chris Carpenter are on the DL. Kenji Johjima injured his hamstring Wednesday night and is day-to-day. Hiroki Kuroda is no longer expected to return from the DL the day he's eligible. Mike Pelfrey is coping with tendinitis. Trevor Hoffman could begin a rehab assignment next week. Geovany Soto is back in the Cubs lineup.
Lineup Lock Time: The Marlins and Braves face off at 12:10pm ET, followed shortly thereafter by Houston/Pittsburgh.
Playing the Splits: Derek Jeter is batting .400 in 20 at-bats vs. Cliff Lee. Aramis Ramirez is batting .333 in 21 at-bats vs. Adam Wainwright. Jose Lopez is batting .174 in 23 at-bats vs. Joe Saunders. Casey Blake is batting .130 in 23 at-bats vs. Barry Zito. Matt Kemp hits .520 against him.
Gut Feelings: The ERA woes continue for Cliff Lee in the Yankees' stadium opener. Kenshin Kawakami picks up another win. Albert Pujols takes Sean Marshall yard.
Friday's Ace in the Hole: Randy Wolf (1-1, 3.65 ERA) gets the Rockies at home and I think he has a very good shot at a W. Paul Maholm (1-1, 1.32 ERA) gets the Braves at home, but fat chance of a victory. For deep leaguers, Cardinals rookie P.J. Walters (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his debut against the Cubs. St. Louis quantitative analyst Sig Mejdal raved to me about his changeup, so I'll be keeping an eye on Chris Carpenter's replacement.
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